5 Great Rainy Day Activities for Kids

Even though Spring is supposed to be here, the British Weather is as unpredictable as always with Rain around every corner. It can be hard to find new and inventive ways to keep the kids entertained on these days.  With a little ‘Blue Peter’ style imagination, you can keep the kids happy and entertained on those wet and gloomy days.

Get Cooking

Roll those sleeves up, get your aprons on and raid the cupboards for ingredients!  Forget the recipe book; just grab some Cornflakes or Rice Krispies, some chocolate and golden syrup – that’s all you need, but you could add a dash of edible glitter, sweets or marshmallows to make them more fun to make and get the creative juices flowing.  Melt the chocolate and remove from the heat, then add the syrup and the cereal until you have a good consistency.  Mix together and place into paper cases on a bun tray, then put in the fridge to set.  That’s it!  You’ll find a recipe here if you prefer to follow measurements: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2451649/cooking-with-kids-chocolate-cornflake-cakes-.  If you’re allergic to cooking, this is a simple way to whip up some tasty treats without having to switch the oven on.  Get the kids involved – they’ll love helping you make these delicious no-cook cakes.

Personalised Collage

If you don’t have any big sheets of paper, lay out sheets in a rectangle and stick together with Sellotape.  Turn it over and get your child to lay on it then draw around them.  Now they can have fun decorating their personal collage as they like!  Dig out things from the recycling bin – bottle lids make great eyes and you can use old magazines to tear strips of coloured paper to layer for shirts.  Use pens, paints, chalk…whatever you like!  If you have knitting wool, this can be used for hair – the possibilities are endless.  Raid the craft drawer and leave the kids to it, it’s amazing to see what they come up with!

Build a Fort

With a little imagination and some bed sheets, you can create an amazing fort in your living room.  Use chairs to drape the sheets over and get inventive!  If you are struggling on this one, http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Blanket-Fort has a fantastic step-by-step guide which shows you exactly how to build a cosy fort for the kids.  When the fort is built, make the most of it and hold a housewarming party!  Make up some picnic food and crawl inside with the kids, you’ll probably have as much fun as they do!  Your new fort is the perfect place to enjoy traditional board games or card games such as snap.  You can pick up board games for a few pounds at charity shops and car boots, so stock up for a rainy day.

Potato Printing

It’s an old favourite that is still great fun today.  Just cut a few potatoes in half, draw a shape, for example a heart or a star, score it into the potato with a knife and cut away the edge.  It can be a little fiddly, but once you’ve created your shapes, you’ll be able to re-use the home-made stamps all day.  Check out this website for a visual guide on what you need to do: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/mr-blooms-nursery/makes/mrbloom-potatoprint/.  When the prints are ready, grab some paper and paints and let the kids have fun!  It can get messy, so make sure they are wearing old clothes and aprons.  You can combine paint techniques too – show them how to paint a tree trunk, then use their green painted hands to stamp on leaves, followed by the circle shaped potato print with red paint to add apples – a beautiful apple tree that you can cut out and stick on the fridge!

Put on a Show

Enter the world of make-believe and help your kids create a show.  You can use a favourite fairy tale as the plot, for example Red Riding Hood.  Make the costumes from clothes you already have, bin bags, boxes or anything else that sparks your imagination!  Turn Dad’s red jumper into a cape for Red Riding Hood.  Put on a shower cap and dressing gown to play the Grandma.  You’ll be amazed at the ideas your children think of when searching the house for props.  After a few rehearsals, record it on a smart phone so they can show it off to grandparents and other relatives.  They’ll have hours of fun letting their imaginations run wild, with a great video to show off at the end of it.